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Mountaineer Richard Mansfield described the avalanche which killed nine people, including three Britons, as a "terrible accident". He told ITV News that "knowing Roger very well I'm sure he made a lot of careful decisions about whether he was going to go or not".

Footage shows Roger Payne, one of the UK's most respected climbers and former general secretary of the British Mountaineering Council, in a documentary filmed in Nepal in 2003. He was tragically killed in an avalanche in the French Alps on Thursday.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of this accident. Unfortunately we had three British victims that were killed. We would like to thank the French authorities for the work they have done, the professional support we have received.

My consular team is here to support the families of the victims who have come here to Chamonix.

Estelle O'Hara, headteacher of Poppleton Ousebank School, said in a letter to parents at the school:

It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that two of the climbers killed in yesterday's avalanche in the French Alps were parents from Poppleton Ousebank - Steve Barber, father of Frankie in Year 5 and John Taylor, father of Emma in Year 5 and Louise in Year 3.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to both Donna Rogers and Karine Taylor who have both lost their life-long partners.

Children have been informed and school staff have been supporting them throughout the day, providing a caring shoulder and answering any questions that children may have.

We would ask that people respect the families' privacy at this sad time. We understand that the climb was to raise money for St Leonard's Hospice and so we will be collecting on their behalf.

Avalanche survivor Tomas Dybro tells me he fell 250m down the mountain. He was convinced he was going to die. Tomas ended up only lightly buried and dug himself out with his ice axe. He rescued two others and pulled four bodies out of the snow